To Leave The Past Behind
by BlizzardXIII
Summary: They had abandoned her but they were still her parents. Parents were supposed to love their children right? No pairings. Featuring OCs in the form of Chrome's parents and Protective!Mukuro.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello~ This is my first fic in the KHR fandom. Please be kind.**

**This is set in 8YL! So Tsuna, Gokudera and Mukuro are 23 years old. Chrome is 21 years old. There are quite a few OCs here. I hope I've portrayed Chrome's mother and stepfather properly too, do tell me if you think they should be portrayed otherwise…**

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

**EDIT (31 January 2013): Hi, I've changed the ending and hence direction of this story and will actually be adding in one or two more chapters so yeah~ I've removed some parts of the original story too so that the next parts won't be too long. It's rather awkward anyway. Also, only Gokudera, Tsuna, Mukuro and Chrome appear here, the rest will appear in the next chapter.**

**Hmm, also, the transition between my usage of Nagi and Chrome may be confusing, I apologise for that.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

It was the night of V-Tech's annual company New Year dinner. V-Tech is one of Vongola's many forays into the business world. It started off as a small company dealing with gadgetry and technology and became a multinational corporation raking in millions in sales revenue in just a few years. This is attributed to the Vongola engineers' ingenious designs and programming as well as the CEO Gokudera Hayato's business sense. Looking around the opulently decorated ballroom of a 5 star hotel (belonging to the Vongola) in Japan, Tsuna knew he had made the right choice when he insisted that Gokudera take charge of the corporation. Any and all employees working in the Japanese branch of V-Tech had been invited, with a guest, to this dinner party and were milling about in their finest suits and dresses. Tsuna smiled as he watched the people interacting with each other. That had been the point of such a dinner—for everyone to get to know each other so as to foster a sense of belonging and subsequently, loyalty to the company. He and his guardians (Chrome and Mukuro since the others were occupied) had, on Reborn's behest, also appeared at the dinner tonight to recruit for the Famiglia itself. Tsuna wasn't too bothered about recruiting though, he just wanted to check out the employees and make sure they were all happy and content.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera greeted, appearing beside Tsuna. He had matured a lot over the years into the even headed, capable Right Hand that he had aspired to be since he was just 14.

"Hi Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna smiled, "I'm undercover today. The employees shouldn't know I'm Vongola Decimo."

"Alright." Gokudera looked around the hall for the other guardians and quickly spotted Chrome not far away from them. She had let her hair down so that it fell to her shoulders and she was wearing a long purple dress decorated with small amethysts radiating from the neckline of the dress. Chrome looked exquisite and every bit a lady of high standing. She was chatting with a young man dressed in an expensive custom made suit with an indigo shirt.

"Huh, so Mukuro's here as well?" Gokudera asked, making a mental note to keep an eye on the pineapple illusionist. Even though Mukuro has more or less been on his best behaviour (Note: scaling down his random killings of unfortunate Mafiosi and shelving his mafia cum world domination plans) ever since Tsuna negotiated his release from Vendicare, he still loved to play around and cause chaos just for shits and giggles.

Upon hearing his cue from the stage, Gokudera sighed, "I gotta go give an opening address soon, both of you should go take a seat at some table. Jyuudaime, you can join my table if you want."

"Oh no," Tsuna shook his head, "I have to stay low profile remember? I'll join some other random table."

"Well okay, just remember to say that you are from R&D if others ask. Since that whole sector is under that Shouichi, the people here don't really know the people under my sector." Gokudera advised. He and Irie Shouichi had decided to split the corporation into R&D and non R&D and run it as they like to promote efficiency. The R&D sector will come up with products and Gokudera's section would then market it. It had obviously worked very well. Tsuna smiled and nodded as he watched Gokudera head towards the stage. Spotting an empty chair at a table to the side, he made his way to it and sat down just as Gokudera stepped up on to the stage.

"Is that the CEO of the company? He's so handsome! And so young too!" The woman on Tsuna's right gushed as she gazed at Gokudera dreamily.

"Yeah, I wonder if he has a girlfriend or anything yet!" Her friend chirped, resting her head on her palm as she watched him. Tsuna smiled wryly, apparently, Gokudera attracted fangirls everywhere he went. The man on Tsuna's left snickered when he heard the girls, "Don't girls like that scare you? I'm Hijikata Tamaki from the sales department! What's your name?"

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi from the R&D department! Nice to meet you." Tsuna blurted, clearly not expecting that anyone will talk to him. Belatedly, he realised that saying his real name might have blown his cover but Hijikata seemed not to have noticed.

"Woah, so you work under Irie-san? Is he a good boss?" Hijikata looked intrigued.

"Ehh," Tsuna scratched his head, "He's quite a good boss! He's nice and really takes care of us. He gets too absorbed in his work though… How is Gokudera-san then?"

"Gokudera-san's a really good boss. I really think he tries to make sure the employees are treated well, since you know, we have such great privileges and facilities and all. I really love the swimming pool in the company roof top." Hijikata grinned.

"I like that too!" A middle aged man with greying hair spoke up from the left of Hijikata. "Hi Sawada-san, I'm Fujiwara Yashiro."

Tsuna smiled and gave a little wave then began asking the table's people about their opinions on the company. The people were all rather wary at first but later warmed up to Tsuna and regaled him with the company's happenings, the rumours and all their complaints. The atmosphere at the table soon became amiable and Tsuna can't help but wonder if his life would be like theirs' if he wasn't a mafia boss.

"Hey, I think the speech's ended, we should be able to go take the food now! Man, I've been looking forward to attacking that buffet spread the whole night!" Hijikata suddenly chirped, grinning widely. At that, many people started leaving their seats and headed to the buffet tables. Tsuna followed suit, realising with slight chagrin that he hadn't paid attention to Gokudera's speech at all. That was quickly forgotten though, when he saw the tables laden with delicacies lining the wall.

* * *

Chrome felt slightly lost and lonely as she ate quietly at the table Gokudera-san had so kindly pointed her to. Although she has overcome the debilitating shyness that plagued most of her teen-hood, she wasn't social by any means and Reborn-san's task of looking for new members to join the Famiglia has overstretched her limits. She couldn't possibly just walk up to some fierce looking guy and tell him '_hey, you look like you can be helpful to the family, wanna join the Vongola?' _could she? Mukuro-sama has disappeared some time ago with nary a word but she knew him well enough to know that he has probably started terrorising some poor fellow somewhere. Well, that guy can deal with it by himself, Chrome thought as she poked at her plate and decided to go get some more of that delicious uni sushi.

* * *

Hojou Misaki sniffed at the hoi polloi stuffing their faces at the buffet tables. They had descended on the buffet tables like half starved cavemen as soon as the CEO's speech had ended. She sat at the table and wished that the CEO had not insisted on a random seating during the dinner. She really abhorred being in close proximity with the rest of the common people in their cheap suits and dresses because really, they had rather shocking manners. It's like they were another breed of people all together. She gazed almost longingly at the table the CEO was sitting at. His table was special, seating quite a few people of rather high standing in the company. If her and her husband could just sit there, they'll just show that young CEO that her husband would be worthy of another promotion.

Scanning through the whole ballroom, she began categorising people in her mind—by their dressing to judge their financial state—and mentally taking note of the executives and their wives that she recognised so that she can do her bit of socialising later. Just then, she spotted a young woman in an obviously expensive designer purple dress walking towards the buffet tables. Feeling sure that she was connected to someone of high status in the company, Misaki tracked the girl with her eyes as she searched in her shrewd mind for an inkling of who the girl might be.

* * *

Chrome shuddered slightly as she felt the unmistakable sensation of someone watching her intently. Immediately, her guard went up as she whipped around, searching for any would be assailants that may have foolishly decided to crash a party organised by the Vongola. Her gaze landed on a middle aged woman sitting a few tables away that haven't even realised that Chrome noticed that she was staring. The woman was pretty despite being past her prime and as Chrome studied her features to determine if she meant any harm, she realised with a sickening certainty, that she knew the woman.

* * *

Misaki studied that young woman, noting her svelte figure, her dangling earring and the Manolos she wears with dauntless grace. Then the woman turned around abruptly and the first thing Misaki thought was '_how pretty she was and what a pity she has an eyepatch'._ Then, as she scanned the delicate features and rushed to place the woman because surely, '_surely she's connected to one of the high ranking executives of the company',_ then like a bolt out of a blue, she realised why the woman had seemed so familiar.

Unbidden, her mouth called out, "Nagi? Nagi! Is that you?"

* * *

Chrome stood rooted to the spot as she recognised that woman. It was her mother, the mother that had abandoned her when she was on her deathbed.

_"You've got to be kidding me! Chop up my own body for a child's sake?!"_

_"It isn't just me. No one wished for that child to stay alive this long."_

"Nagi? Nagi! Is that you?"

Chrome snapped out of her trancelike state when she heard a long forgotten voice calling a name. The name that was once hers but she relinquished when she took up a new life and the name 'Chrome'.

"It's you isn't it? Where have you been all this years?" The woman had walked closer and reached out for her arm. Chrome stepped back, still in shock. Her mind urged her to deny, to walk away, to do anything, _just get away_-

"Okaa-san…" She said anyway, feeling a prickling at the back of her eye. Chrome just stared dumbly at the woman in front of her, casting frantically for words to say, to bridge the chasm hewn between them by the 8 years her mother believed her to be dead.

"Oh, Nagi, how are you doing nowadays?" Misaki asked, reaching for Chrome's hands.

"I… I'm doing well." Chrome answered hesitantly as she stepped back again and put her hands behind her back so that her mother could not touch her. Part of her was telling her to run away, another part was telling that she should feel anger for the abandonment and neglect all those years ago but one part of her reminded her that the woman in front of her was _her mother._

Chrome's blatant rejection of her touch made an unnamed anger bubble up within Misaki. '_She is still the same unsociable, unlikable child as before' _she fumed. It was only then did Misaki recognise that she didn't really care for the young woman in front of her; that she didn't really think of her as the daughter that she had thought she lost. Perhaps, she thought, she had never cherished Nagi as her daughter, but a burden that she was unfortunately shackled to for 13 years before that fateful accident. That cognizance kicked the shock right out of her system and she was immediately reminded of her motive when she first saw Chrome.

Quashing down on her ire, she smiled, "You've grown so much, and you look so beautiful now… This dress suits you, where did you get it?"

"It's a g-gift…" Chrome said softly as she studied the woman in front of her, unconsciously contrasting her with the mother she had remembered from her childhood.

"A gift?" '_So she's close to someone that's affluent'. _Misaki thought, and then she said teasingly, "Is it from _someone_ I should know about?"

Chrome blushed as she understood what her mother was implying even as a slight irritation rose within her, "It's from my friends… They bought it for me as a birthday gift." She was shocked when Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan had presented her with the dress as she had never owned anything so exquisite before—she didn't think that she was deserving of such expense. They had then been adamant that she wear it for the party today.

"Ah, Nagi-chan, you have such nice friends. They must be in the upper echelons of society hmm?" Misaki said, smiling at the younger woman, although that smile came out slightly strained. '_Tch, I won't get any information with the way she's answering, how annoying' _she thoughtas Chrome nodded wordlessly.

"Then Nagi-chan, what do you do for a living?" Misaki questioned again. Chrome wanted to roll her eyes, '_so her mother is interested in her life only now?' _She felt like she was being interrogated but she answered nonetheless, "I work in the-."

"Kufufufu~ My dear Chrome, who are you talking to?" A smooth voice interrupted. Mukuro glided up beside Chrome and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Chrome automatically leaned into his touch and smiled radiantly at him.

Mukuro studied the woman in front of him with mild distaste. He had felt Chrome's turbulent emotions of shock, unease and irritation through their bond—Chrome is obviously not comfortable with the woman she is talking to. The bond of possessor and possessed still exists despite the fact that Mukuro had not possessed her for years and now acts more like the protective, if slightly more intimate older brother she never had.

"She's my mother, Mukuro-sama."

"What 'Mukuro-sama'?! Who are you?" Misaki asked, feeling slightly misplaced due to the sudden intimacy between her long lost daughter and the stranger.

Mukuro smirked.

Chrome sighed inwardly when she saw his infamous grin appear. _There he goes._

"I am Chrome's savior… I am her Family." Mukuro smiled winsomely at Misaki and said, "I must thank you for deserting Chrome after her accident; I'd never have found her otherwise… _Her body has served me well."_

Misaki blanched as the last bit registered. She may not have understood the first part but the man's last sentence was clear enough. Mukuro chuckled inwardly as he watched horror, repulsion and unrestrained fury flash across the woman's face as she took the bait. Chrome was torn between wanting to hide her face in embarrassment and laughing outright as she witnessed her mother jumping to conclusions.

"Y-You… You disgusting t-thing!" Misaki cried in disgust, "What have you done to Nagi?!"

"She was always rather willing." Mukuro continued cheerfully, thoroughly enjoying himself as the woman stared at Chrome in undisguised consternation.

"Hey dear, what's happening here?" A middle aged man strode up to them. He was dressed impeccably in a pinstriped suit and flicked his gaze up and down Chrome and Mukuro's body as he drew nearer, as if measuring their worth.

"This man, this _creature,_ had been violating our Nagi!" Misaki said, pointing imperiously right at Mukuro.

"Nagi? Your daughter?" The man, now identified to be Hojou Kamiya, looked at Chrome, _seeing _her for the first time, "And who is this man?"

"He is the beast that had been raping Nagi! Weren't you listening to me?" Misaki screeched. Beside her, Mukuro chuckled. She was being really ridiculous.

"Hush dear… You are causing quite a scene. I'll just get security to deal with the pervert alright?" Kamiya soothed as he took her elbow, turning around to try and summon the security guards.

"That won't be necessary."

Everyone whipped around to stare at the source of the voice.

"Bossu!"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi~"

"What do you mean that it won't be necessary?! This bastard here-" Kamiya snapped at the newcomer.

"I don't know what he said to you, but Mukuro is _not _a rapist." Tsuna turned and waved the security guards away while his other hand batted Mukuro's wandering hand away. Then turning back, he said, "_And I do not appreciate you calling my Family names_." Tsuna's tone had turned cold and caustic at the last statement and both the Hojous tensed and looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

_'Again with 'Family', what is he talking about? And did his eyes turn orange?!' _Misaki thought, glancing warily at Tsuna.

"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, I am Chrome's boss and Family. You are Chrome's parents I presume?" Tsuna smiled warmly when Chrome nodded, "I don't think we should make a scene here. How about this? You are invited to my place for dinner tomorrow. We'll answer any questions you have there."

"Tsunayoshi, are you sure you want to do this?" Mukuro asked, smirking at the Hojou couple.

"Well, they _are_ Chrome's parents after all. So yes, we are going to do it." Tsuna told him, fixing him with a warning look. Then Tsuna turned to the Hojou couple, "Do you accept the invitation?"

"Yes. We'll be there." Kamiya said quickly when Tsuna's distinctly orange gaze turned on to him.

"Well, that's good then. Do get ready at the front of your house at 7pm sharp, there'll be a car waiting for you." Tsuna smiled again, the smile this time lacking its usual warmth and held a tinge of deviousness. "And we should take our leave. Have a good night." Then, beckoning to both his Mist Guardians, Tsuna turned away and walked out of the ballroom without a single backward glance, leaving the Hojou couple to ponder just what they got into.

* * *

"Kamiya," Misaki frowned, "Who are those people?"

Kamiya hesitated and grimaced, "The name 'Sawada Tsunayoshi' is familiar but I don't know who they are. I didn't even want to accept the invitation but _something_ just compelled me to. I don't think it will be dangerous… I mean, Nagi lives there right? That Mukuro guy gives me the creeps though."

"Oh, you didn't even hear what he said! There's something off about them. I wonder just what Chrome is doing with them!" Misaki said, recalling the earlier conversation with slight revulsion. "Ah well, at least they are obviously rich. We might stand to benefit from this."

"You are so money orientated." Kamiya sighed. "But maybe we can demand for reimbursement or something since you know, we've brought Chrome up." Misaki nodded gleefully, agreeing full heartedly to the plan. Then something occurred to her.

"K-Kamiya? How would they know where we live?"

* * *

**Next chapter should be coming out on Saturday.** **Do review. Thank you! **


	2. Chapter 2

"… So we just have to teach her parents a lesson for the abandonment but we won't hurt them." Tsuna looked around the table to make sure that the Guardians have gotten the message.

"Hahaha, don't worry Tsuna!" Yamamoto said cheerily, carefree as ever. Beside him, Lambo yawned and mumbled, "Yare yare, this is so troublesome. But okay."

"Kufufufu, why not? Can't we just hurt them just a tiny bit? " Mukuro smirked evilly as he imagined the horrors he can unleash on the couple. Tsuna narrowed his eyes at him and Mukuro shrugged noncommittedly. Next to him, Chrome just nodded minutely while Ryohei grinned widely and said, "That'll be EXTREME!"

"Sure thing, Jyuudaime." Gokudera said.

"Right. You are all dismissed." Tsuna waved a hand at his Guardians and watched as they filed out of his office.

"Why do I have a feeling that it's not going to be so easy…" Tsuna mumbled as he flopped down on top of his mahogany desk. Even though he had planned to make Chrome's parents pay for what they did to her, there is a huge possibility that the Guardians might overdo it and end up scarring her parents for life, thus destroying the already fragile relationship between Chrome and her parents. '_At least Kyouya isn't here.'_ Tsuna shivered at the thought of the chaos that his blood thirsty Cloud can cause when faced with pathetic herbivores such as the Hojou couple.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna."

"Hiieee!" Tsuna squawked as he threw himself backward hurriedly to dodge the bullet aimed for his head.

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelped indignantly at the nine year old Reborn now lounging lazily on the armchair at the corner of the office, "What are you doing here?!"

"Hmph, to punish you if you were slacking of course," Reborn stated simply, looking at Tsuna as if he were stupid, "it seems that Kyouya is coming back tonight."

"I wasn't slacking- Wait, he what?!"

"Kyouya's coming back today. Don't make me repeat myself." Reborn said, smirking deviously, "The Scarafaggio Famiglia must be easy to decimate."

Tsuna groaned and face-desked. In all these years, Mukuro's and Kyouya's relationship have mellowed from being bitter enemies to being not-so-bitter rivals that still caused massive destruction to their surroundings if they happened to clash. Having Mukuro and Kyoya in the same room… Ugh.

* * *

Hojou Misaki preened in front of the mirror as she checked her outfit once again. She was wearing a maroon sheath dress that accentuated curves she still retained despite her age. Behind her, her husband lounged on the bed and watched her with lazy eyes, being already dressed and ready to go. The couple had already put on their game face. Tonight was a night to turn their charms on and schmooze their way into a higher social standing. It was not every day that they get a chance to go to dinner with a rich albeit mysterious host after all. Vaguely, Kamiya wondered if they should thank Nagi for this lucky break, but nah, _they _were the ones who brought her up—she owed it to them.

"It's seven pm already. The car would be here." Misaki said, peering out of the bedroom window which overlooked the street below.

Kamiya stood up and smoothed down the creases in his dress shirt as Misaki picked her clutch off the bed and walked out of the bedroom door. The Hojou couple walked out of their front door and was met with a black limousine with darkened windows. A chauffeur stood beside the doors and as they approached, bowed to them and opened the door to the limousine.

"Hojou-san? My name is Tendou Kazuya, I am your chauffeur for this trip, do not hesitate to ask if you need anything." He nodded again before closing the door.

"Hey, Tendou? How do you know where we live?" Kamiya asked.

"I was just following directions given by Jyuudaime-sama." Tendou answered politely, his tone reverent. "It's an honour to be invited to dinner; Jyuudaime-sama doesn't have normal people over much."

'_Normal people? What does he mean by that? And who the heck is 'Jyuudaime-sama'?!'_ Kamiya lapsed back into silence as he pondered over the driver's strange choice of words. Beside him, Misaki played with the material of her clutch, her earlier reservations about this dinner invitation resurfacing again. She suddenly wondered if it would be wise to play them for a fool and expect to get benefits out of the meeting.

These reservations however, disappeared the moment the limousine turned into a massive set of iron wrought gates. Neither couple noticed the crest engraved into the white marble pillars on either side of the gate as they gaped at the huge mansion that the limousine stopped in front of. The mansion was _old_, its smooth, weather worn walls speaking of decades of history. Yet, the place was pristine and meticulously kept. It practically oozed wealth.

"Welcome to the Vongola Mansion, Hojou-san. My name is Hamasaki Kitarou, I am the Head Butler." Hamasaki bowed as he gestured towards the mansion. "Please, come in, Jyuudaime-sama is waiting for you."

'_Vongola Mansion?_ _Vongola?!' _Both the Kamiya thought incredulously, '_They are the largest conglomerate in Italy and one of the richest in the whole world! They have companies in almost every field!'_

"What's wrong?" Misaki asked as she noted the shocked expression on her husband's face.

"The Vongola! They are one of the richest corporations in the whole world!" Kamiya hissed quietly as the couple approached the butler. Misaki paled but any comment she wanted to make was quickly swallowed as they entered the grand foyer of the mansion.

* * *

"Kitarou-san just called. They are here." A servant told Tsuna. Tsuna nodded briefly in thanks before saying, "Hmm, alright. Help me gather all the other Guardians would you?"

"Yes, Jyuudaime-sama." The servant bowed and exited, leaving Tsuna sitting at the dining table with Gokudera and Reborn. Tsuna sighed as Reborn snickered at him, his plan of trying to get the servants and maids in the mansion to stop calling him 'Jyuudaime-sama' have obviously failed. Calling him by his title and then tacking on a '-sama' at the back was just overkill.

"Yo, Tsuna, Hayato, kid!" Yamamoto greeted cheerfully as he sauntered into the dining hall dressed in a cerulean dress shirt that he had left untucked with the first few buttons unbuttoned. Shigure Kintoki was slung across his back as usual.

"I really wanna see how Chrome's parents are like!" Yamamoto grinned as he sat himself into his seat beside Gokudera, "Maa, it's a pity I wasn't there at the party."

"They are really just normal, if slightly hateful civilians." Tsuna said. Beside him, Reborn looked thoughtful, "It's weird to see you hate someone from just the first meeting, whatever did they do to you?"

"I don't really _hate_ them per se, it's just that, I get the feeling that they really valued money and social status over everything else and that kinda disgusts me you know?" Tsuna said slowly as he thought over his own feelings, "And these were the very same people that deserted Chrome when she needed them most, I can't help but dislike them… Ah, you guys will see for yourselves later."

* * *

Misaki tried not to gape like a witless fool as they were led through the halls of the mansion. She can't really be blamed, really. The whole mansion was artfully decorated with various art pieces and antiques, all of which she knew to be exorbitant. A small vase with two fishes painted on it and then glazed over with glass caught her eye and she drew nearer to take a closer look.

"That's a century old Japanese vase." A voice suddenly spoke up right next to her ear, causing her to jump. In her shock, her arm flew up and knocked the vase off its pedestal.

"Hey-ey!" The voice cried out before its owner dived for the vase, catching it nimbly between his fingers. "Be careful! This is one of Hibari-san's favourites! He'll _bite you to death_ if anything happens to it!"

"I-I'm sorry!" She apologised quickly and then saw that the mysterious speaker was a just a kid when he stood up to arrange the vase back on its pedestal.

"Lambo-sama!" Kitarou exclaimed, having heard the commotion and turned back with Kamiya beside him. "Lambo-sama, what are you doing here? Jyuudaime-sama is waiting for you in the dining hall!"

"Yare, yare, I just wanted to meet them for a bit, don't get your panties in a knot!" Lambo drawled flippantly before jogging off.

"Don't mind him; he has always been like that. He's still so young after all." Kitarou said, seemingly unfazed by Lambo's rude behaviour, "This way please." The Hojou couple nodded dumbly and followed him. Soon, they came to another pair of doors. Voices and laughter filtered out from behind the heavy wood, seemingly in great merriment. Kitarou motioned for the Hojou couple to stop before he knocked twice on the doors. Immediately, all voices halted and there were sounds of wood scrapping across the floors.

"Please go in." Kitarou pushed the door opened and ushered them in. Kamiya and Misaki composed themselves, took a deep breath and pushed the door open to reveal the sight of at least ten people sitting around a round table.

* * *

They were all dressed tastefully in suits and designer dress shirts with the casual elegance of the aristocrats. The couple spotted Nagi dressed in a beautiful ensemble of a black jacket and a short skirt with an indigo shirt that matched what the man beside her was wearing. Misaki stiffened when she recognised that the man was Mukuro. They then made their way to their seats between Nagi and a white haired man under directions of Kitarou, feeling appraising eyes on them the whole way. Just as they sat themselves, a man dressed in a maroon dress shirt stood up, drawing their attention and causing them to stare as they recognised their boss.

"Welcome, I'm Gokudera Hayato. Let me introduce you to the rest of the people here." Then, gesturing to the Guardians, Gokudera said, "This is Yamamoto Takeshi, major shareholder of Shigure Sports." Yamamoto grinned and 'Yo'ed in greeting, completely ignoring the couple's amazement and shock.

"And this here is Bovino Lambo, he's still schooling but works in the Vongola in his free time."

The couple gaped at the teenager who gave them a lazy 'Hello' nonchalantly. He was wearing a cow printed dress shirt and suit jacket over it and he looked really _young_. Like a thirteen year old kid that should not belong in the cutthroat world of businessmen and financial moguls.

"Then Rokudou Mukuro and Dokuro Chrome, both of them are in the managing committee of the Vongola." Gokudera paused, studying their looks of confusion and said, "Chrome changed her name shortly after meeting Mukuro. She is Nagi no more."

Misaki looked as if she was going to protest but quelled as Gokudera fixed her with a warning look. She settled for glaring at a smirking Mukuro instead.

"The empty seat belongs to Hibari Kyouya, he is the Head of the Foundation. And then that's Sasagawa Ryohei, CEO of Vongola Phamaceuticals."

The couple's eyes widened at the mention of The Foundation. It is an organisation largely dedicated to the security of Japan and worked closely with the Japanese Police Force as well as Japan's Ministry of Defence. Of course, the Foundation dealt with other underground matters as well but civilians are not privy to their inner workings. Ryohei nodded at the couple in greeting who inclined their head back. They had heard about Vongola Pharmaceuticals. It was based in Italy and was rising up the ranks quickly to join the giants in the biomedical and pharmaceuticals industry.

"And then this is Reborn-san, Internal Advisor of the Vongola."

The couple had already noticed the child seated at the table with them and both gasped at they realised that he held a position of power. '_He must be a figurehead… Must have a crazy father or something.' _Kamiya thought, looking Reborn over doubtfully.

"I'm not just a figurehead, something you'll find out if you stick around in the company. Or not." Reborn remarked, raking Kamiya with a condescending look. "And no, I did not read your mind." Kamiya twitched at Reborn's announcement and blushed. Someone beside him chuckled.

Gokudera cleared his throat to ensure the couple's attention before saying, "Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo." The couple blanched at this. They had already known that they were in the Vongola Mansion but had never expected that they would meet the boss himself. The young man had seemed unassuming. '_Huh, must be enjoying the fruits of his elders' labour…' _Misaki thought.

Just then, the servants came in with their food and all the attention was suddenly directed to the steaming hot plates of fine cuisine.

Tsuna cleared his throat and said, "Kamiya-san, Misaki-san, I do understand that you have questions you want to ask of us, but for now, let us eat first!"

"Itadakimasu!" The Guardians all chorused before they dug in. Just as the couple picked up their cutlery, the dining room's door opened and a lithe figure in a crisp suit with a purple dress shirt walked in, yawning as he did so.

"Hibari! You are EXTREMELY late!" Ryohei shouted, causing Kamiya, who was sitting beside him to lean away from him.

"Oya? Are you limping? You must be losing your touch if those spineless fools manage to injure you." Mukuro sneered, causing Hibari to growl as he pulled out his tonfas. Purple flames ignited and coated the tonfas. A chain whipped out and shot towards Mukuro, prompting him to materialise his trident and parry. He dodged swiftly as a tonfa came towards his head, attempting to splatter his brains on the oriental carpet. An indigo flame suddenly started burning at Mukuro's right eye as he brandished his trident.

"Kyouya! Mukuro! Stop! You are scaring the guests!" Tsuna commanded when he saw that the Hojou couple were cringing away in fear.

"Hn." Hibari intoned, glancing at the Hojou couple indifferently before he withdrew and took his seat at the table. Picking up his cutlery with a soft 'Itadakimasu', he started cutting into his filet mignon, completely ignoring the curious looks of the guests. Mukuro only chuckled briefly before dissolving his trident and retaking his seat.

"Tsunayoshi, Don Scarafaggio had been detained by the Foundation. The report would be passed to you when it's done."

"Ah, thank you, Kyouya, anything else?"

"They have a few bases of operations spread around the world. Some of which are in China, Thailand, Brazil and Hungary. Send some men over."

"Alright. Hayato, can you dispatch some men to those places after the dinner?"

"Sure thing, Jyuudaime!"

"I still say that the mission should have gone to _me_. It's the _Scarafaggio Famiglia_. They trafficked children. I would have played with their minds so much, they would wish that _they are dead_ and then I would have-"

"Yes yes, Mukuro, you would've massacred them all. That's the reason why I couldn't send you there." Tsuna sighed, "Not all of them had to die… Kyouya, you left most of them alive right?"

"Hn. They were all pathetic herbivores." Hibari commented offhandedly.

"Don't dodge the question!" Gokudera snapped.

Tsuna was about to reply when he saw that the couple was looking at them wide eyed, no doubt confused by the conversation they were having. He then decided to change the subject, '_let them draw up their own conclusions themselves first.'_

"So Misaki-san, would you like to explain why you accused Mukuro of being a rapist?" He said, tone not unlike that of a teacher asking an errant child to explain his actions. Gokudera sniggered while Yamamoto remarked, "haha, I knew you were perverted Mukuro!"

"Yare yare, girls are like kittens; you have to treat them gently, no use forcing yourself on them you know?" Lambo drawled, grinning lazily at Mukuro who flushed slightly and hissed, "Shut up cow brat! You are a hundred years too early to be lecturing me on this!" A pause. "And I'm not a rapist!"

"Then why did you say that Nagi-I mean Chrome- that her body has served you well?!" Misaki said disgustedly.

Silence descended over the table as everyone digested her words. Then Chrome started giggling, causing Mukuro to chuckle thus prompting the others to laugh along as they all understood that it had been a huge misunderstanding.

"Mukuro! You shouldn't say things like that!" Tsuna admonished then sighed as Mukuro gave him an unrepentant smirk.

"Well, Misaki-san, I assure you that he isn't a rapist, it had all been a huge misunderstanding. Why don't you let him explain by himself?"

Misaki let out a small scream as the dining room floor suddenly disintegrated and she was falling through what could only be described as the rabbit hole in _Alice in Wonderland_. Many odd things flashed past—a clock without hands, an eye patch, purple clouds, huge red eyes, a half rotting face, a mutilated hand with only two fingers—and became more creepy as she fell. Misaki's horrified scream choked off as she splashed into fetid, dark waters and she was drowning, drowning, _drowning. _

Then she blinked and she was back in the dining room sitting stiff backed in her chair, her hands gripping the seat so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Beside her, Kamiya wore a similar expression of terror and he was pale and trembling faintly.

"I'm an illusionist." Mukuro said, smirking at the couple vindictively, "Chrome-chan was my vessel, I used to possess her while I was in prison."

"_Possess her_?!" Kamiya blurted incredulously, having regained his bearings first. "Are you playing us for a fool?" He looked around the table accusingly and was only met with grim faces. Tsuna only shrugged and said, "It's hard to believe, but it's true."

A trident suddenly materialised and Mukuro stabbed it in Kamiya's direction, causing the poor man to jerk backwards and almost fall off his chair. He smirked, "Do you want to try getting possessed hmm?"

"No-no I…" Kamiya blabbered as he tried to shield his face with his hands only for Mukuro to burst out in peals of amused laughter. Chrome turned to her mother and said, "Mukuro-sama saved me. I'm only alive because of him. He gave me organs when I lost mine."

"But my dear Chrome, you haven't needed my help for so long." Mukuro said, sobering up from his laughing fit. "You are already an accomplished illusionist by yourself."

"Wha-what? N-Nagi, you-" Misaki stammered, pointing at Chrome with a shaky finger. Chrome nodded, "Yes, okaa-san, I can make illusions too." Upon her words, the room suddenly morphed into a bright, tranquil field. The wide expanse of grass in front of them rippled like the sea when the wind threaded through its blades, lulling the couple into a sense of peace and security. Then, just as Misaki allowed herself to get lost in the illusion, it peeled away and she was quickly brought back into reality. She blushed when she realised that she had allowed herself to be taken in by what was—to her—just another parlour trick.

"Stop it! That wasn't normal you freak!" She yelled in embarrassment and anger. Chrome jumped and cringed away at her vicious tone, causing Mukuro to stand up and glare at Misaki. Around the table, the small talk between the other Guardians had all but died away and Kamiya noticed that all of them had gone on full alert, all their attention focussed on Misaki. Ignoring the effect her words had, Misaki continued ranting, "I always _knew_ there was something wrong with you!"

Mukuro growled lowly and lunged for Misaki, his trident forgotten in his rage. Misaki screamed in terror as he approached and Lambo shot out of his chair tackling the irate Mukuro to the ground.

"Mukuro-nii! Don't!"

"You have EXTREMELY no right to say that!" Ryohei shouted indignantly, having jumped to his feet the moment Mukuro lunged.

"Herbivore, kamikorosu." There was a soft snarl before Misaki suddenly found a tonfa aimed right at her.

"Kyouya! No!"

The slate eyed man in front of her stopped abruptly and Misaki froze with the blunt end of the metal nudging her throat. She could see the cold rage present in his eyes, "You digust me."

Then he straightened up and backed off, shaking Kamiya—who had tried valiantly albeit futilely to restrain him—off and walked out of the room.

"You do not insult my Family. Apologise to Chrome." Tsuna said icily, his words leaving no room for argument. Kamiya nodded dumbly while Misaki had shrunk away from him, all earlier bravado gone.

Just then, there came the sounds of muffled yells and thumps from outside the heavy wooden doors of the dining room and a man in a suit ran in shouting, "Jyuudaime-sama! The Budino Famiglia is attacking! Hibari-sama is already on the offensive!"

"Ugh! Why are they attacking now?!" Tsuna griped, throwing his hands up in irritation.

"Don't complain, Dame-Tsuna. Go meet them!" Reborn said before he booted Tsuna unceremoniously towards the door.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera called in concern before rushing out after Tsuna, who had picked himself up and exited the door, "Tch, those small fries just don't learn."

"Our priority is to defeat them with as little damage to the mansion as possible!" Tsuna shouted over his shoulders as he entered HDWM to engage his enemies. Then mumbling to himself, "I've enough of shelling out money to pay for the damages…"

* * *

Kamiya and Misaki watched as everyone seemingly forgot about them and rushed out of the dining room. Weapons had materialised in the men's hands as they ran and they had already seen a katana, boxing gloves and tridents. Even the cow suited teenager had fished out something from his pocket, fastening them to his head before running out.

Screams of pain as well as begs of mercy emanated from behind the door which had been left ajar in the Guardians' haste. Explosions and crashes resonated throughout the room but snippets of conversation still filtered through, shocking the couple with just how flippant their hosts had sounded about the situation.

"I don't see why you'd insist on attacking when you know you have no chance. Did you think that the Vongola under Jyuudaime would be weak?!"

"No- I- It was under orders! I- AHHHHH!"

-KABOOM-

"Nooooo! Hayato!"

"Hahaha, they sure are weak!"

"MAXIMUM INGRAM!"

Kamiya edged towards the door and peeked through, his jaw dropping open ridiculously at the bizarre sight in front of him. The walls separating the two adjacent rooms had been blasted away, its remains still smouldering on the thick Persian carpets. Some black clad bodies lay prone on the carpets, many bleeding and bruised while others were still writhing around with their faces contorted in horror. In the midst of it all, their hosts stood with a slightly disgruntled expression as they surveyed the wreckage around them.

"Hn, not worth my time." Hibari huffed, stalking past Kamiya on his way to the winding stairs at the end of the hall. Kamiya recoiled at the sight of his blood flecked face and tonfa which were dripping with the red liquid. Noticing Kamiya's gaze, Hibari stopped and stared straight at him, and then slowly, deliberately, he licked the spot of blood on his hand and grinned predatorily at the man before sauntering away. Kamiya whimpered but found himself unable to move as terror clutched at his heart.

"Kyouya-nii, you are dripping blood all over the carpets! Tsuna-nii will be really angry with you." Lambo said to the aloof man.

"Chrome-chan, I think you should lay off the flowers and sparkles in your illusions, it's rather disgusting to see their faces morph from a bedazzled wonder to terror." Mukuro chided, to which Chrome only giggled softly and acquiesced.

'_What the hell is wrong with these people?! This… This isn't normal!' _Kamiya thought. Beside him, Misaki gasped in horror at the scene and stood there like a deer in the headlights. Then he saw that Gokudera was approaching where he was standing as the Right Hand man inspected the damages done to the room.

"Go-Gokudera-san…? Wha-what's happening?" He managed, the words seemingly stuck in his mouth as he tried to wrap his mind around the confounding and rather surreal situation. Gokudera whipped around and raised his hands as if anticipating an attack before he lowered them again and pocketed what he was holding, "Oh, it's you." Kamiya's eyes tracked his hands as he realised that his boss had been holding sticks of dynamite. He stepped away from his boss, feeling a sickening sense of awe and gut wrenching fear.

"What do you think is happening?" Gokudera questioned mockingly, gesticulating to indicate the chaos around them, almost hitting Yamamoto as the swordsman approached.

"Woah Hayato! You almost hit me!" Yamamoto said good-humouredly, then he saw Kamiya half hiding behind the door, "Ah, sorry! Another mafia family attacked us again haha!"

"Wha-?" Kamiya said intelligently just as Misaki gasped an incredulous, "Mafia?!"

"Kufufu~ The Vongola Famiglia, most powerful and largest mafia family in the world." Mukuro declared, spreading his hands as if to encompass everyone around him. Kamiya and Misaki gaped and there was silence as the present Guardians watched the myriad of expressions flit across their faces—shock, fear, disbelief, horror before they settled on incredulity. Misaki burst into strained laughter, "That's very funny! You really got us there!"

"Okaa-san, it's really true." Chrome said gently.

Before Misaki can retort, Gokudera cut in, "We are all Guardians of the Vongola Family, the seven people tasked to protect the Sky, Sawada Tsunayoshi!" Kamiya and Misaki both backed away from Gokudera in horror. They had no idea what to think—it was not every day that they encounter such deadly individuals and to think that they were so brazen earlier!

"I heard my name, what's happening?" Tsuna questioned as he walked over after he had finished delegating jobs to the Mafiosi scattered around the mansion.

The couple turned towards Tsuna, noticing the bright flame burning on his forehead. He exuded a powerful boss-like aura and Kamiya wondered why he had ever thought that Sawada Tsunayoshi was just a mere youngster riding on the coattails of his elders. He felt faint, the knowledge of his precarious predicament weighing heavily on him.

Then they saw the hulking beast which emerged from beside the Mafia Boss.

'_A li-lion?! With a mane of flames… I'm going crazy, haha, crazy!' _was all he thought before he fell to the ground in a dead faint.

"D-Don't hurt me!" Misaki pleaded desperately as she tried to back away from Tsuna, "Kyahh!" She screamed as she tripped backwards over the prone figure of her husband and knocked herself out cold on the edge of the hard wood of a chair.

"Huh, that's convenient." Lambo remarked as he observed their guests.

"Natsu!" Tsuna sighed, "Guessed he scared them. Oh well-"

"I'm on it, Jyuudaime." Gokudera waved his phone, through which he had been barking orders for someone to clean up the wreckage and bring their guests home.

Tsuna smiled gratefully and said, "Chrome… I'm sorry it became like this. Your mother… She probably… She-"

"No, it's okay Bossu." Chrome said, "Bossu and the rest of the Vongola are my real family, you are the only Family I'll ever need. Having blood relations doesn't mean they are family after all."

"Hahaha, you got that right!" Yamamoto laughed as he slung an arm over her petite shoulders.

"We are an EXTREME Family!"

Chrome started giggling as Gokudera told Ryohei off for being too noisy, starting another shouting match when the Sun Guardian protested. Then Ryohei had then somehow managed to smack Mukuro in the face with his (EXTREME) gestures, causing Mukuro to retaliate. It soon became a full blown brawl as everyone got dragged into the skirmish.

Chrome smiled—yes, this is her Family, the one who had stuck with her through thick and thin, the only one she'll ever need.

_~Owari~_

* * *

**And this concludes the story! I hope you've enjoyed it **

**Actually Tsuna had only told his Guardians to act like proper, intimidating Mafiosi. Their personalities and quirks really did the rest. Guess normal people can't handle them. Heh. And Reborn is 9 years old because I had assumed that he started aging like normal humans after the curse was broken. Natsu is also a huge lion because he grew from a lion cub. Yeah. **

**I had originally wanted to add in the box animals as well as an interaction scene between Hibari and Chrome, but this would've made it longer and I don't really know where to cut it off to make a new chapter. It came out awkward too. Oh, and:**

**Scarafaggio-cockroach  
Budino-pudding **

**Yeah, they are lame names, but I suppose they do sound acceptable to non Italian speakers… Right?**

**Do review and tell me what you think 'kay. Criticisms are welcomed~**


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